#18

I've reached the halfway mark: 18 radiation treatments behind me, and 18 left to go. Eighteen may not seem like a lot, but trust me, it may as well be a hundred. Fortunately, my skin is doing very well so far. No burns, blisters, or charring, just a few areas that are looking extra pink. I have noticed that the skin on my radiated side is getting tighter, though, which is making the breast expander feel a little more uncomfortable.

Much like my experience during chemotherapy, I've become friendly with some of the people who come in for radiation treatments at the same time I do each day. One of them is this very nice woman who had breast cancer 10 years ago, and is now battling it again, except this time it has spread to her brain. Despite being sick again, and faced with having to continue chemotherapy for the rest of her life, she has this wonderful, positive outlook on things. She considers herself blessed, because the first sign that the cancer had spread to her brain was her hand becoming paralyzed. Her doctor told her that for many patients, the first sign is that they suffer a stroke. So she actually feels very lucky! What an amazing attitude...